Stomach Growl

*COMPLETED*"Hold your head up and smile, you coward," Arfaat growled when Juwairiyyah hung back at the top of the steps leading to Sophie's imposing home where the wedding traditional party will take place. His hand gripped her waist so tightly she gasped, and she felt like jerking away and fleeing back down the steps to the waiting car. There was a long line of cars in the street outside Sophie's home; it was obvious the ton had gathered to see the grand wedding of Alhaji Abbas daughter to a poor mechanic.If not for the cold dread in the pit of her stomach, Juwairiyyah might enjoyed the sight of her _wedding day_. As it was, she felt only a shivering apprehension at Arfaat cold rage and implacable face. They'd ridden from her fathers house on GRA in stark silence. Except for a brief moment when she had balked at getting into the car, he had not spoken to her until now. "I don't advise you to try anything you may regret, my Lily."Meet Juwairyyah Abbas who is a spoiled brat whose heart is set at tarnishing and destroying the image of anyone below her. She sees herself as a Queen and someone who is above everyone.Being the only child to rich parents, Juwairiyyah was pampered and given everything she wants.But, what happens when she met someone hell bent on changing her idea that the poor are to be loved and respected not trampled on.The story is steamy, filled with love, hatred, and revenge.

“You want me to pretend to be your fiancée?” Paige’s voice trembled quietly. Leonardo D’Angelo, her boss, the man she’d spent way too many nights secretly pining over, was holding her by the shoulders. His eyes beseeching. Paige, I know this might come as a surprise to you,” Leonardo’s voice was softer, almost hesitant. “But I need you to be my fake fiancée.” Her heart slammed against her ribs. This had to be a joke. “I—what?” she stammered, staring at him like he’d grown another head. “It’s only for three to four weeks,” he pressed, his grip tightening slightly on her shoulders. “I’ll pay you double, or a vacation, whatever you want. Just say yes.” Paige opened her mouth to refuse, because this was insane, but the look in his eyes stopped her. For once, the arrogant, self-assured Leonardo D’Angelo looked… vulnerable. “Please,” he added, his voice barely above a whisper. She should have said no. She should have walked away. Instead, the word slipped from her lips before she could stop it. “Yes.” The relief on his face was immediate, but Paige’s stomach twisted with nerves. What had she just agreed to? And yet, somewhere beneath the chaos, was the dangerous thrill of being the woman by his side.

A sharp bang on the door made him jump. "Open the door, Sawyer. I know you're there, I saw you. Come on, sweetheart," Daniel cooed through the closed door. Sawyer's heart fluttered at that endearment. Hearing Daniel's voice again was like cool water running down his sweaty back – refreshing, energizing. He felt the intense kicking in his stomach stop as though the baby was listening as Daniel tried to talk him to come out. I'm so sorry, child. Your father...doesn't know what he's doing. He doesn't belong in our lives. It's always going to be you and me. Sawyer bit his bottom lip at how selfish his thoughts were. God, had it really come down to this? "I'm so sorry, Dan but I'm not who you think I am. You don't deserve an idiot like me. Please, go home. We have nothing to talk about." "See? You're disturbing us. He doesn't want to talk to you. Let him be," He heard Maddie say. Sawyer exhaled at the silence that followed, thinking that Daniel had deeded his words and left. But Daniel spoke again, a slight edge of command in his voice. "No, Sawyer. You're not a fool. Listen, can you at least open up so we could sort things out, just the two of us."

“The babies you carry are mine. You're mine, Lyra. And you do not have a choice. He growled, his eyes narrowing. You’re my Luna and you belong to me.” “Don’t talk to me about belonging!” I shouted. “You threw me away the day you chose Eloisa. On our son's death anniversary, Damian!” His face twisted with anger. “You think you can just run off from the Blood Nest Pack? You’re making a fool of yourself.” Damian's voice rang through the tent. I looked up at him, refusing to cower under his burning stare. “You lost me the day you declared Eloisa your partner. I do not belong to you, Damian!” I yelled through gritted teeth. He stepped forward, taking hold of my arm. Rylan sprang forward, baring his wolf fangs. “Let her go now. She is under my protection,” he commanded in a low growl. Damian's grip on me weakened and he stepped back, not willing to tango with the brute rogue who was his enemy, and also, my second fated mate. Damian's eyes stayed on my stomach for a while. “I'll claim my babies, Lyra. You can't stop me.” It was as much of a promise as it was a threat

"you will abort the baby" Anthony's voice was cold and rough. "I don't want a child" "I can't abort it" Avery's voice was small, fear hidden beneath it. Her hands went to her stomach instinctively and wrapped around it protectively. "It's not a request." Anthony's voice was calm but threatening and it stirred a warning inside Avery. A warning that he wasn't to be messed with. "It's an order. I own you for the next one year and you will do as I say" Avery wanted to yell at him but she couldn't. Even as he sat in a wheelchair, he still looked powerful and threatening. There was just something about him that scared people. "Now get lost" he rumbled and Avery's chest tightened. She couldn't bear to get rid of her only reason to hope. Her father kicked them out of the house months ago with no apparent means of survival and her mother had become gravely ill, bills piling up, and no one left to turn to, she agrees to the unthinkable. An arranged marriage to a dying billionaire she barely knows. He’s cold and cruel. And he makes it clear he wants nothing more than a convenient end to this marriage. But Avery’s not giving up that easily. If she’s going to sacrifice everything, she’s determined to make him fall for her, for hope and for the future neither of them planned

I grew up alongside Griffith, the Alpha of the Avalora Pack. Everyone said I was the luckiest woman in the entire kingdom of Mycintia. Griffith rejected the mate bond arranged for him by the Moon Goddess to be with me. He declared to the world that I was his one and only love. But after my miscarriage, I accidentally overheard him speaking to the healer, "Find a way to drug the Luna and remove her womb. Make sure she can never bear children again." Then, I saw him gently caressing another woman's stomach and saying, "Give her the best prenatal medicine. I want her to give birth to the strongest and most intelligent child." I knew that woman. She was Giselle, the fated mate the Moon Goddess had originally chosen for him. Griffith's voice turned grave as he issued his next command. "The Luna must never find out about this. And you must take care of her health at all costs. Otherwise, you'll suffer the consequences." Pain sliced through me. I had never imagined that the man who once swore he loved me more than life itself could betray me so cruelly. In the end, I left without a word. Since they wanted to be together so much, I stepped aside to let him and his destined mate be together. Yet, he told me later that after losing me, he lost the ability to love.

He pressed our hands together, mixing our blood as he spoke the words that sealed my fate. “I, Alpha Kayden Maxwell of the Blood Moon pack, reject Leah James as my mate.” The words hit me like a punch to the chest, knocking the air from my lungs. The pain that followed was unbearable, like my soul was being torn in two. I gasped and clutched my chest as the bond between us snapped. “I… I, Leah James, accept your rejection.” Kayden turned away from me as if I was nothing more than a nuisance. “Now that that’s done, I have another announcement. Selena will be my mate. She has all the qualities of a future Luna.” The crowd erupted into cheers. Their approval for Selena was loud and clear. I watched as she stepped forward. She leaned into Kayden as if to mark her territory. The sight of them together made my stomach turn. ********************************* Leah’s world shatters when her fated mate, Alpha Kayden, rejects her for another. Heartbroken, she discovers that she is not just an ordinary wolf. In fact, she is the last heir to a powerful bloodline. As dark forces rise and her hidden powers awaken, Leah must face the truth about her past and the dangerous future ahead. With a prophecy threatening to destroy everything, Leah is forced to choose between love and power. Can she and Kayden stop the coming storm or will her destiny tear them apart forever?

My husband, Gabriel Buckner, and I had been married for three years. I'd gotten pregnant twice, but I'd lost both babies. It was all because of my in-laws' parrot that could talk. The first time I got pregnant and went to their house, the parrot stared at my belly and kept repeating, "Get rid of the baby! Get rid of the baby!" The second time, the same thing happened. It looked right at my stomach and said the same words. I thought it was just nonsense, but to my shock, my in-laws actually took the parrot seriously and forced me to end the pregnancy. I even showed them the prenatal checkup report from my doctor to prove that the baby was perfectly healthy and begged them not to do it. But they dragged me to the hospital anyway and made me have an abortion on the spot. When I got pregnant a third time, I wanted to be extra cautious. I went straight for an amniocentesis. The report confirmed the baby was healthy and even showed a 99.9% DNA match with Gabriel's. I thought everything would be fine this time. But as soon as the parrot saw me again, it repeated the same words—"Get rid of the baby." And just like before, the Buckners immediately tried to drag me to the hospital. I couldn't understand it. The baby was perfectly healthy, and the DNA report proved it was Gabriel's child. So why would they rather believe a parrot and insist that I get rid of the baby?

My girlfriend Chloe Bennett's childhood buddy, Daniel Miller, binds himself to a transfer system. Everything he eats gets sent straight into my stomach. He creates a live stream channel and eats nonstop for 12 hours a day to rake in money. Meanwhile, I end up in the ER with acute pancreatitis. I try to explain everything to Chloe, but she just looks at me like I've lost my mind. "How could something that ridiculous exist? If food could magically transfer, nobody would starve in the world. You're just jealous he's making money from streaming." Afterward, Daniel's every live stream triggers another pancreatitis episode, sending me back to the ER until I'm barely holding on. I get tested, but the doctors can't figure out what's wrong. They even want to admit me to psych. Later, in a desperate bid to outdo another streamer, Daniel downs ten pounds of mashed potatoes at once. The overload destroys my spleen and stomach, causing massive internal bleeding that kills me. When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day of Daniel's very first live stream. This time, I rush out and order 20 takeout dishes before him. "This time, I'm eating first."

After I am diagnosed with stomach cancer, I ask for some money to buy medicine. I don't want to be in excruciating pain when I die. My three elder brothers rush into the ICU. Andy Lewis—my eldest brother—slaps me hard across my face. He scolds me for ruining his beloved younger sister, Summer Lewis' coming-of-age party. My second brother, Sherman Lewis, calls me a liar. He accuses me of pretending to be sick to swindle money from them. Jimmy Lewis, who is my third brother, calls me useless. He tells me that I deserve to die. My parents, Kenneth Lewis and Autumn Farrow, don't believe that I'm sick. They pin me with looks of contempt and ridicule. "You still haven't stopped that lying habit of yours even though you're all grown up. You even learned how to blackmail us with your death. "If you want to die, do it sooner. It'll spare us from being disgusted when we're forced to look at you day in and day out." I end up dying on the first day of the New Year. Before I breathe my last breath, I send a message to the family group chat. My entire family goes crazy after reading it.